Minor Leaguers - Job Conditions

[Brian McKenna]

how specifically does the life of a ballplayer in the minors differ from major leaguers in relation to employment benefits and working conditions? what becomes of the many who don't make it to the show?

[bluezebra]

how specifically does the life of a ballplayer in the minors differ from major leaguers in relation to employment benefits and working conditions?

M-O-N-E-Y!! Overnight bus travel versus flying. Cold sandwiches after the game versus big meals. Major League clubhouses are like mansions compared to the tiny ones (at least in Class A) in the Minors. Miniscule retirement benefits compared to the Majors. Per Diem on the road. Motel 6 versus first class hotels.

what becomes of the many who don't make it to the show?

Would you like to supersize that? Many Minor League players are college graduates these days, or are close to their degrees, so I wouldn't shed any tears.

Bob

[Brian McKenna]

i read somewhere that less than 10% of major leaguers have a college degree

[bluezebra]

i read somewhere that less than 10% of major leaguers have a college degree

Maybe. But many, if not most, have attended college, and only need a few hours to graduate.

Bob

[Brian McKenna]

There were 227 foreign-born players on major league rosters to start the 2004 season, comprising 27.3% of the slots. This figure is likely to increase since 47.6% of minor leaguers, to start 2004, were born outside the United States.

obviously, most are from latin america - i'm at a loss to see what's backing up your statements

out of the free agent draft what % of players signed come directly out of high school? anyone know?

[Yankees]

M-O-N-E-Y!! Overnight bus travel versus flying. Cold sandwiches after the game versus big meals. Major League clubhouses are like mansions compared to the tiny ones (at least in Class A) in the Minors. Miniscule retirement benefits compared to the Majors. Per Diem on the road. Motel 6 versus first class hotels.

While I agree with most of this, I remember last year running into a AAA team in the Marriott---Perhaps via some sort of deal, a bulk rate on rooms, so to speak.

Also, I think I heard of (when on the road) $20 for meals, per day? Not much, and for three meals...

[vasprtsfn]

It differs as far as what happens to guys that dont make it. I work with my hometown Potomac Nationals Booster Club, and I can tell you that some of the players we work with go back to school in the off-season, I remember one guy who passed bartending school and is now a bartender. Some guys stay in baseball and become coaches with minor league teams.

[yosteve]

A lot of minor league guys struggle when they finally hang them up. Me I went back to school so I'm ok but a lot of guys I played with while getting by, are not by any means loaded.

They also ask no tears be shedded, but to think a lot of these guys have it made is way off base.

[sonderweg]

The way I see it, baseball players are one of the few groups of people who can get a job, right out of high school/college, doing exactly what they trained for. Therefore, any time spent playing baseball - and getting paid for it - should be seen as a bonus before they have to rejoin the "real world," where you often take the job you can find, even if it isn't exactly to your liking.